‘Aaron Volpatti put Matt D’Agostini over the boards and almost into the Capitals bench. John Scott picked him up, threw him around and almost put him into the Buffalo bench. Of course, he wasn’t going to fight Scott. Matt Moulson did the right thing, he lined him up and hammered him cleanly against the wall.’

‘“He’s the best goalie in the League and I don’t say that lightly by any means,” Sabres captain Steve Ott said. “I really think that and he keeps us in there, especially tonight. The team didn’t steal the game. Ryan Miller stole that game for us and that’s the difference is how world-class he was tonight.”’

‘“Some years the media is all over him that he doesn’t score or something and he always scores over 30-40 goals,” said Sabres defenseman Henrik Tallinder. “That guy, he never sleeps. It seems like he is awake all the time on the ice. It’s tough.”’

‘“Sometimes you get frustrated as coach,” Nolan said. “You just want them to work themselves through it. We’re not in kindergarten where you have to hold hands and direct them through every tough situation. They have to find a way themselves. Sometimes you let them battle through it and sometimes you have to call a timeout. Last night it was one of those things I tried to let them battle through it.”’

‘“I think all three of them are competing hard,” Nolan said. “I think everybody knows Ennis’ skill level. You see young Girgensons and his work ethic and Matty, the way he scores. But the one ingredient they all have is they like to compete and they like to play.”’

‘This is definitely not the same Sabres team since Ron Rolston and Darcy Regier were relieved of their respective duties with the Sabres. The team is more aggressive, and you rarely get the feeling that they are out of a game.’

‘Buffalo’s captain steered the Sabres back on course just when it seemed like they were going to crash on the shores of Lake Ontario. He jacked up the flat team’s emotions at the start of the third period and capped it by scoring the tying goal with 24.1 seconds left. It got the Sabres a point for their 4-3 shootout loss to Toronto.’

‘”We’ve kind of just listened to his words, believed in his systems and it’s been a lot better since he’s been around,” said Foligno, who has been held to just 11 points in 33 games, but had three in his previous three contests.’